Store History

IKEA hackers have come up with ingenious ways to transform and redesign the Swedish mega-store's products. But for those of us without the time, energy, skills or resourcefulness needed for an involved DIY project there are a few other ways to customize your favorite IKEA pieces.

Let's start from the bottom up: Swedish company Prettypegs sells fun, colorful support legs in a range of shapes and sizes. All you have to do is remove the existing legs and screw in the new ones. And suddenly your sofa looks so much less generic. Think of it as buying new fabulous shoes for your furniture.

Shipping charges are flat rate so there is a single shipping fee regardless of how many products your order contains. For US shoppers, the rate is US $26.

Meanwhile, another company company called Panyl (see our Store Profile in Marketplace) creates flexible, self-adhesive vinyl film that is pre-cut to the dimensions of specific IKEA furniture models. You can choose from 34 (and counting) different vinyl finishes in solid colors, wood grains, and a few specialty finishes like brushed aluminum. The newest in the PANYL lines is the EKBY JÄRPEN shelf and bracket. All you have to do is pick from a range of colors and PANYL will send you the shelf all ready to assemble (just purchase the EKBY BJÄRNUM bracket from IKEA to hold the shelf up).